PurpleKoolaid wrote:I expect Mixon to have temper problems a lot sooner then I have problems with Cook being an immature idiot and doing stupid things. Rick seemed to think Cook was serious when he said twice, he was leaving the Miami scene behind him. Going to be interesting to see which of the 2 turns out to be the better all around back in 4 or so years. Wonder how Bradford feels about the Cook pick.

Mothman wrote:
I trust him too but according to an article I read on King's MMQB site, Cook had run-ins with law enforcement on at least 3 occasions during his freshman year in college and during the summer before his sophomore year he was accused of punching a woman, was charged with assault and was then suspended from the team. He was found not guilty on the assault charge. There was reasonable doubt but he has a troubling history and it continued after high school. I think there's genuine cause for concern with this kid. He's just been in trouble too often, over too much time.

You're correct ... I'm mistaken. He did have some issues early in his career at FSU. However, he was found not guilty by a jury on the charge of punching a woman. He's also reported to have turned a corner in the latter part of his FSU career, and stopped going back to Miami to hang with the old crowd.

As King reported, a lot of kids coming out of Miami Dade have early problems. It's abject poverty there, and rough crowds. Cook's grandma has been a huge influence in his life, and while he's made mistakes, he's also grown.

I'd rather give a chance to someone like that than to someone like Mixon. YMMV.

J. Kapp 11 wrote:
And exactly what does that matter? Reports on ESPN were than only four teams were even willing to talk to Joe Mixon, let alone draft him.

And now the Bengals are going to hand this guy a signing bonus check for more than $2 million? Gee, what's the over/under on the number of weeks before Mixon finds himself on another police blotter? Three? Four?

I love the drafting of Cook, whom most analysts are calling a second-round pick with first-round talent.

I think Cook is a quality back. Mixon is just better. By a good margin. Actually, way better. It made little sense to trade up (with the Bengals) to grab Cook. The Bengals grabbed Mixon in the Vikings spot. The Bengals were likely going to grab Mixon regardless so we just handed them a free bonus pick. I believe a person can change dramatically in 2 years time. Mixon is going on 3 years now of keeping his nose clean. I don't fault selecting Cook. I fault how the selection was handled.

On the subject of Cook v Mixon does anyone know if there is truth to Wilf ending the discussion? I can't remember where I saw it but I swear somewhere on draft day I saw something mentioned that the war room was in on Mixon until Wilf squashed it.

808vikingsfan wrote:
Can you elaborate? It's just that I have a hard time believing Mixon being that much better when OK had a much better OL than FLST. Despite this, Cook had 500 more rushing yds and scored 10 more TDs.

Mothman wrote:
I would have preferred to see the Vikes stay away from both players.

Exactly.
The position isn't worth investing an early pick in. You can find production in free agency or mid to late round players.
And in Shurmur's offense? This team has a number of needs. There were players at far more valuable positions available.

And I'm "negative(bad fan)"? There are plenty of posters who will pat the team on the pack for any pick they make. And reinforce every post that's made. I don't think the Elflein pick was bad. Even though I question Spielman and his signing/drafting players that are "multi-position" players that don't seen great at either position (and flare out when they're moved to the other position).

You have dozens of "good fan" posts talking about how great the pick is, and you have to single out the one post that questions it? Look at the free agents and draft picks this team has made, and how many worked out. Who is closer to the truth?

Demi wrote:
Exactly.
The position isn't worth investing an early pick in. You can find production in free agency or mid to late round players.
And in Shurmur's offense? This team has a number of needs. There were players at far more valuable positions available.

And I'm "negative(bad fan)"? There are plenty of posters who will pat the team on the pack for any pick they make. And reinforce every post that's made. I don't think the Elflein pick was bad. Even though I question Spielman and his signing/drafting players that are "multi-position" players that don't seen great at either position (and flare out when they're moved to the other position).

You have dozens of "good fan" posts talking about how great the pick is, and you have to single out the one post that questions it? Look at the free agents and draft picks this team has made, and how many worked out. Who is closer to the truth?

Who are you addressing with those last two paragraphs? You weren't singled out. Your post upthread was fine.

Demi wrote:Lose AD, draft a RB. Definitely didn't see this coming. Wait, it's exactly what you should expect from this GM.
And another huge steal? Fell in the draft! Wow! Wonder what the issues are? Ball security? Injuries? Off the field?
All of the above! Fantastic.

And drafting any RB this early? After seeing the overall value of the position in recent history?

My concern with Cook is his running style more than where he was drafted. He's fast, but he's more of a straight-line runner who needs good blocking. You don't see too many highlights where Cook has to cut back or slow down to find an alternative opening. Without good blocking up front I don't know if Cook will get to show his blazing speed very often.

It'll be interesting to see what impact Cook has. An argument can be made that there were better players at other positions of need, but if Cook is productive and effective the pick will be viewed as a good one.